Life is so relentless... every now and then a person needs a treat... what better gift to oneself than a dollar smoothie ( or "SMOOTIE" is it?) from the Central Ave. Mickey D's?


The Central Ave. restaurant is more 3rd world than 3rd world McDonald's I've visited along the years... a cool stop on a hot day, totally charming, a cacaphony of voices speaking in many different languages permeates the french-fried atmosphere... the workers are friendly and polite...


This was my first time tasting this Mango/pineapple concoction: it was delightful. (I'm still working on my idea for a high-fiber lo-cal milkshake) Really hit the spot! (But I still prefer the Southeast Asian McD Mango Pies w/Fried Chicken!)


Thank-you, McD's! ♥♥♥

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Take advantage of the "Extra" savings items: WATCH OUT when buying anything else!

A week ago today I mentioned the vast difference in prices on grocery items when comparing Price Chopper vs. Hannaford [read that here] ...now, with Shop-Rite breathing down it's neck, Price Chopper is loading up those "loss leader" items.

The other day my neighbor got out of his SUV with some Price Chopper bags and proclaimed (as we exchanged 'hello's'') "Look at this! I got two GIANT bottles of Hawaiian Punch for just $2.19!" I replied "up - I got the same at Hannaford for $1.49 each." He looked back at me incredulously.

Here's how it works, people: For most of june and early July, Price Chopper was selling HP for $2 a bottle. It was $1.99 at Hannaford and Sav-A-Lot.

Price Chopper has a new "Double Coupon" deal where they double any manufacturer's coupon up to a dollar. It seems that when a manufacturer's coupon comes out in one of the weekly fliers, they "adjust" the price.

Hawaiian Punch (when the mfg 50cents off coupon began circulating) went up to $3.19 at PC but stayed the same $1.99 at HFD and SAL.

So, when you buy the product and present the coupon, you're still paying more for the item! What I did was take my 50cents off coupon to Hannaford, and bought the item for $1.49.

MORAL ::: when couponing, watch your prices carefully. You may have similar differences between supermarkets in your onw area. DO NOT BASE YOUR SHOPPING LIST ON YOUR LAST TRIP TO THE STORE (especially if a new 50c or less coupon is out!) And be especially vigilant at the Price Chopper checkout. On more than one occasion the electronic scanner has rung up a price more expensive than the marked price. DO NOT BUY ANY ITEM THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE PRICE ON IT. If you do, you have "no proof" at the register.

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Pups are on the menu in Baguio City!

THIS shocking menu is where half million dogs a year end up after being snatched off the streets and illegally killed in the Philippines.

British-based non-profit organization Network For Animals is trying to put a stop to dogmeat as a human food source: “Particularly popular is pulutan, a dog meat bar snack. Another very popular dish is deep fried dog paws, known as ‘spare parts’...It was bizarre and surreal to see what we regard as man’s best friend and a pet regarded as legitimate food.”

In last week’s Sunday Express phone poll more than 3,000 ­people demanded an end to the cruel practice.

Network For Animals’ online petition can be signed at ­networkforanimals.org

NFA is also asking people to contact the Philippines Embassy. You can write the embassy at 6-8 Suffolk Street, London SW1Y 4HG; call: 020 7451 1800 or email embassy@philemb.co.uk

Tags: eating dogmeat, animal cruelty



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CELEBRITIES ::: Last night, police were called to the Palomar Hotel in Dallas, Texas by an employee per Nicki Minaj’s request following a scuffle at the hotel’s pool. Grapevine sez Nicki got into a verbal tiff with an unidentified male she was staying with. The row moved to her hotel room where NM told police the man smacked her in the lower lip. When police arrived the unknown man had already left the premises and Nicki asked to not file charges on the attacker whom she stated was not in a relationship with.

via TMZ

Pablo Andrés Rivero shares [es] a slideshow by photographer Patricio Cooker with music by rapper Ukamau y Ke: “The pictures reflect everyday life in El Alto, one of the most sui generis cities in Latin America, because of its rapid growth and its peculiar social, economic, and political dynamics.”

BLOG COMMENTING ::: “1 New Comment.” That line is one of the most exciting things a blogger can read and can make his day. It shows that someone out there is actually reading his blog, and taking some time off to comment on his article. It is like a gold star on the workbook of a preschooler, applause after a recital or a medal after a competition. For those who spend their time isolated in their homes and chugging away in front of the computer, this is their way of socializing and meeting new people. After all, that is what blog comments are about – it’s an online conversation... supposedly... Nikki Romero explains...

FOOD ::: The refreshing and delicious watermelon salad recipe.

China Media Project highlightsanother food scandal. A tofu workshop in Lanzhou added chemicals and shampoo into Tofu to create a sticky texture.

•Oiwan Lam

Xiaxue as a Live Mannequin for Essential

Tags: XiaXue, blogging



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Passing by "Page One" of the weekend Times union (I know it's Tuesday... I'm playing 'catch-up'!) for some truly remarkable headlines that feature stories that REALLY impact our culture!

HACKERS FIND NEW TARGET IN ANDROID no doubt will concern those using the 'droid smartphone. It boils down to the subheadline "Open design of Google's operating system makes smartphones vulnerable." MAJOR WARNING BELLS HERE! Last thing anybody wants these days is to have their personal telephone compromised or screwed up by a virus. This could become for Google what viruses have meant to Windows users. My advice: get a smartphone with any other OS until you can be 100% damn sure your phone can't get infected!

THIS ELECTRICITY HOG LIVES IN A LITTLE BOX Makes me happy because I abhor cable TV, with the crappy picture and sporadic service that can simultaneously disable your TV, internet and home phone in one single line failure! Turns out that your cable box drains more power tha your refrigerator - 446 kilowatt hours a year - that's 12% more than the ref here at the apartment in NYC!

Particularly of interest to Capital Region peeps:

This isn't really a "headline" - just a half-page ad in the Sunday paper: "Hey Capital District Chopper Shoppers, Celebrate a NEW way to save! We now DOUBLE manufacturer's coupons with a face value of up to 99 cents... EVERY DAY"

My advice: gather up your coupons and shop at PC on a "coupon only" basis. (Make sure you wouldn't save more by using the coupon UNdoubled someplace else!) Most of their stuff is priced way over Hannaford and Walmart. Hannaford totally wins when it comes to meat. A steak at PC runs you around $7 - the same cut at Hfd I just paid $2.41!

Here's a genuine headline:

JENNINGS: FIRST IN LINE TO WED GAYS If you really want hold politcial office, you have to be "one with the people." Check out Jerry Jenning's career as Mayor of the city of Albany. Time after time, facts prove he has "the pulse of the people" beating through his brain!

Last but not least, the following tale actually made Page One of the "Capital Region" section of Sunday's times Union: "Visa denials keep son from dad in U.S." ::: As much as the newspaper might like to make this a human interest story, perhaps Carlos Galvan would have been much better off taking the Jose Antonio Vargas route!




Tags: Virus Google Android, Hannaford, time-warner cable, smartphone virus, DVR, Hack Android



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Here's what's happening now around the blogosphere and on the net!

nancycasanova Nancy Casanova

Oh no! @TheAtlanticWire: The "anatomically correct" Anthony Weiner doll and other newsmakers-turned-action figureshttp://theatln.tc/mgQYKm

#WeinerGate UPDATE
# Wife Huma Abedin returns to Washington home
# New pictures show Weiner cross dressing and 'oiled up'
# Weiner 'waiting for wife' to decide on his fate say colleagues
# Congressman believed to have flown out of New York to rehab facility
# Pelosi says 'he must go'
# Obama tells NBC's Ann Curry 'If it was me, I would resign'
# Weiner granted two weeks leave by House

#AminaArraf UPDATE
THE GUARDIAN (UK) STRUGGLES TO FIGURE OUT The weird world of the lesbian hoaxers, posing the question "Why did a heterosexual, married man pose as a lesbian online on the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus?" Guardian writer Kira Cochrane concludes "it's more about power than sexual kicks." I think it's all about power too, but a different kind of power, specifically, numbers, as in "traffic" and the feeling that one's writing (blog) is influencing major mainstream media outlets. In retrospect, there should have been all kinds of red flags.

Perhaps the biggest reason "GGinD" became a hit with Western media is that the blog was so easy to access. There are probably pro-human-rights people blogging from Arab countries, but, other than going through Global Voices (and even Global Voices got punk'd) it might not be such an easy story to hunt them down in Arabic. (Or even French. I've come across many "exclusives" for this humble weblog that were gleaned from French blogs and websites).

NPR seems to like tumblr... me too!

http://www.myweku.com/2011/06/10-of-africas-best-food-blogs-2/

MyWeku makes its inaugural annual picks of the African food blogs we can’t live without. This list comprises 10 of our favourites. Most of these African food blogs are slick with their own Flickr photo portals, Face Book fan pages and twitter following.

Those of you living in gastronomic agony need not suffer any longer. If the combination of writing, photography and the sheer abundance of recipes in these blogs fail to awaken you from your slumber, then I’m afraid nothing will!

List curated by Ada Iwugo: Fashion and Lifestyle Editor - Follow me @mywekulifestyle

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Genette Cordova, cover girl!

Say it with CERTITUDE! #WeinerGate followers, this post is dedicated to you!

In one of my earlier #WeinerGate posts, I mentioned that Michelle Malkin had, curiously, not weighed in on the issue. WELL! MM tackles Weiner with dazzling precision! Snippet time:

"In a little-noticed red flag during his softball interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Weiner himself indicated that he may have stored such photos “in another account.”

There is no end to this... not yet, anyway!



Here are some other articles for you to consider & comment on:::

Do you have a Google account? Are you using the new +1 feature?

News Corpse (Blog) » The Internet's Chronicle of Media Decay

The SeXiest accent in China? Jenny Zhu reports.

Teen girls are solidly supporting Rihanna, who has been under a firestorm of controversy since her “Man Down” video was released Tuesday. In the video, RiRi is portrayed shooting a man, who we later find out sexually assaulted her in the storyline. Groups such as the Parents Television Council are fighting to have the video banned from major networks. Rihanna:
Thank you for the amazing response on ManDownVideo I love you guys, and I love that u GOT IT!!!
1 Jun

And what about that e-coli outbreak in Europe? Would having your own garden be a better alternative?







Tags: Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin, Politics & Social Media



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Russia: Social Networks and Civic Mobilisation

Rapper Rick Ross used hip-hop blogs to form new group

Rapper Rick Ross used the Internet to scout his new crew, which is on its way

By Jon Caramanica New York Times News Service

Rick Ross has old friends, and Rick Ross has new friends.

The old friends are from the neighborhood: Ross's first crew was Triple Cs, or Carol City Cartel, named after the rough Miami neighborhood that Ross and the other members — Gunplay, Young Breed, Torch — called home.

Where did Ross meet his new friends, the members of Maybach Music Group? It's 2011: He met them on the Internet.

chinaSMACK

Germany Cucumber E. coli Contamination, Chinese Reactions -Chinese netizens react to the European E. coli (EHEC) bacteria outbreak that began in Germany from contaminated cucumbers, say Germans have poor immune systems, to which I would agree (after seeing the photographs ChinaSmack posted of people in India, washing and bathing and brushing teeth in the River Ganges as bloated human corpses floated by. A dose of life like that, it seems, would make one's immune system stronger. (Either that or you'd outright croak immediately!) LOL!

CELL PHONE CANCER ::: The World Health Organization declared that mobile phones could be a cancer risk, but Sharon Begley says which brand of phone you own—and how you use it — could make a big difference.

TechCrunch

• Delays? Fragmentation? Advertising? Some Overcast Appears Ahead Of iTunes In iCloud - Once far off in the distance, iCloud is now quickly approaching. It will be a new service with many layers that Apple will first unveil on Monday during th...

  
  
• 
  the twitterer

  Who Uses Twitter? - % of internet users within each group who use twitter The number of US Twitter users jumped in the past year, increasing more than 50%, according to a stud...

  
  
• 
  The Technium

  Screening - Someday in the near future my day will be like this: In the morning I begin my screening while still in bed. I check the screen near my pillow for the ti...

Keyboard Militia via Christopher Arps

Bill Cosby: "Your Dirty Laundry Gets Out Of School At 2:30 Every Day" | Global Grind

On May 17th, Bill Cosby did it again!As the keynote speaker for the annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition conference, Cosby delivered another masterful soliloquy aimed at the destruction of the current state of African-Americans.

Russia: Social Networks and Civic Mobilisation

Written by Marina Litvinovich · Translated byCatherine Lawlor · from GlobalVoices

What effect can the rapid development of social networks, the growth of the number of users, and the strengthening of their capacity for social impact and mobilisation have, and when? Marina Litinovich analyses the factors contributing to public mobilisation via social networks. read »

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On June 3, Dunkin’ Donuts treats guests to a free donut with the purchase of any beverage!

Canton, Mass. (June 2, 2011) – National Donut Day, celebrated this year on June 3, is a day to honor the donut’s place in America’s history and culture, and the happiness and fun donuts bring to people’s lives. Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee, donuts and baked goods, is making it sweet and easy for anyone to enjoy National Donut Day in the best way possible: with a delicious, free donut. On June 3, participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide will offer guests a free donut of their choice (while supplies last) with the purchase of a beverage (excluding bottled cooler beverages).

National Donut Day, held the first Friday of June each year, was originally established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to honor women who served donuts to soldiers during World War I. According to John Costello, Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer at Dunkin’ Brands, Dunkin’ Donuts wants to make it easy and affordable for people to celebrate National Donut Day. "As the donut leader, we know first-hand how donuts, perhaps more than any other treat, bring smiles to people's faces and make everyday moments at home, work and at play a little sweeter. To commemorate this occasion and celebrate this classic treat, we invite everyone to visit Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants on June 3 to enjoy a free donut with a beverage purchase,” he said.

Dunkin' Donuts has led the donut category for more than 60 years, selling 5.3 million donuts and Munchkins® donut hole treats every day. Dunkin’ Donuts throughout the United States offers more than 70 varieties of donuts, including beloved flavors such as Boston Kreme, Glazed and Chocolate Frosted. As the brand has expanded into new markets throughout the world, Dunkin’ Donuts has extended its donut leadership and innovation by introducing new varieties created specifically to appeal to local tastes. For example, Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in Asia currently offer Pork Floss Donuts, yeast donuts topped with dried pork and often paired with dry seaweed topping, as well as Mochi Rings, which are cake donuts indigenous to the region.

Find a participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant near you!

To learn more about Dunkin’ Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts).

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for five years running. The company has more than 9,700 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2010, Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $6 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

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Now that we gotcha movin' & groovin' you need a little fitness in your life: if the Electric made you dance, you're getting a Healthy Heart in exchange for your toe-tapper!

Next, head over to Body n Soil where you will discover remarkable blueprints for nutritious summertime foods and get some of your fitness questions answered! Next, schlep on over to see The Fitness Diva and finally, drop by Heidi's blog and you'll be more than a few steps toward a healthier lifestyle!

And if you're on the receiving end of bad news from your Doctor, Sandy will lift your spirits and change your outlook, for sure!

Legendary folk troubadour Bob Dylan turned 70 this week! Gander at Dylan through the lenses of these photographers and magazines:

Douglas R. Gilbert

Elliott Landy

Vanity Fair

Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan's website

Enjoy!

Tags: hip hop, Yarah+Bravo, the Electric, youtube, health & fitness



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Chicken Veto...Finally

Just when it seemed things were settling down to a bit of peacefulness in the State Capital, the situation went a fowl...

An apparent open challenge to Mayor Jerry Jenning's "chicken" veto ::: As seen of Facebook: Jose Lopez ( MAYOR. JENNINGS STOP THE CHICKEN DANCE I KEEPING MY BABY'S DUCK'S LEGALIZE CHICKEN'S IN ALBANY,N.Y. ) ( JUST WARMING UP AGAIN'ST LEGISLATOR. BRIAN SCAVO 7 th DISTRICT 2011 )

WoW! That's like sending the sheriff a photo of your illegal weapons cache!

If you're not aware of the CHICKEN CONTROVERSY, I can catch you up. First, a little help from Newschannel 13 ::: THE CLUCK STOPS HERE [text + video link]

Then, for a little backgrouind and behind-the-scenes, we turn to Albany Citizen One:

Chicken Veto...Finally

A Visit in the South End

Here's the Albany Times Union POV on "Chicken-free Albany"

And Albany Citizen One is letting the public know that she has undertaken the "... mission of rounding up every illegal chicken and goat in the community begins.While I've already got a short list, I'm taking tips. If you know of a backyard chicken or goat or any other animal contraband, send me an email with their address..."

Wonder if ACO will go after those baby ducks?

Tags: Albany Chickens, Albany Chickens

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Nourishment for your next mission!

4 lbs. fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced
2.5 quarts water
1 small turnip, peeled and diced
2 cups diced onions
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 lb. eggplant, peeled and diced
4 cups diced cabbage
1 cauliflower, cut into flowerets
2 12 to 15 oz. cans of sweet corn
2 cups of diced carrots
4 small zucchini, peeled and sliced
2 cups white potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup parsley flakes

(1) in a large pot, combine tomatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add turnip, onion, celery salt, bay leaves, salt, HALF of the basil leaves, garlic, sugar and pepper. Cover. Cook one hour.

(2) add remaining vegetables and cook for another hour.

(3) add remaining basil leaves and parsley flakes

(4) serve with long loaves of freshly-baked french bread, broken into chunks.

Makes 12 servings!




Tags: seal team, navy seals



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I'm not one to complain, but I see the effects of what suddenly is being called "INFLATION" (d'oh it's really the high price of gasoline gone wild)... here's my two sales slips from this morning's grocery shopping [hover and click to enlarge]... $32.86 and $73.82 when for the last several months the slips hovered around $22.25 and $45.10... so if you don't think we're going to have a BIG financial collapse, get out of your own way and wake up!

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Warren Buffett told CNBC today that the collapse of the euro ... is far from "unthinkable."

The price of oil is still way up there ...

The worst Texas drought in 44 years is damaging the state’s wheat crop and forcing ranchers to reduce cattle herds, as rising demand for U.S. food sends grain and meat prices higher ...

The Obama administration is trying to dissuade other countries from imposing export bans and other measures that were blamed for fueling food price spikes in 2008.

And, just in case you were beginning to believe a "recovery" was in progress, home sales and prices plummeted last month, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Owch!

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